Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm Initial Response

Welcome to 540 Italian horsepower lunacy

1y ago
21.6K

The Giula was going to be the resurrection of Alfa Romeo as a major car competitor. When it premiered the Giulia decimated the Nurburgring and gave BMW and Mercedes something to sweat about. The small Italian car manufacturer was back in a big way with the new sports sedan, and brought an SUV along with them. Overtime, the Giulia had reestablished Alfa in the U.S. In typical Italian fashion however, reliability issues started to rear their ugly heads and the Giulia settled neatly into the "you can have an exceptional sports sedan if you can deal with the reliability issues" category. Still, the Giulia had secured a spot in the segment. The Giulia isn't something you decide to buy with your brain. You worry about the drive home more than the drive to the garage and subsequent bills.

A few years on and we finally have the GTA and GTAm versions of the Giulia. Two special editions of the Giulia that put it on the Atkins and feed it some protein. The Giulia has gone from sports sedan brute to full on track-ready warrior. The GTA and GTAm have been made to commemorate Alfa Romeo's 110th anniversary and are named after the first Giulia given the GTA suffix in 1965, which saw immense success in European motorsport.

In terms of what's new, carbon fiber has been utilized liberally inside and out to save weight. The roof, hood, front bumper, wheel arches, diffuser, driveshaft and interior trim have all been replaced with carbon fiber components. The rear door windows and rear windscreen have been switched out for Lexan components and aluminum has been used in the engine, doors and suspension components. Overall, the GTA is down 220 pounds from the standard Quadrifoglio.

If you go further down the super sedan rabbit hole, the GTAm completely removes the rear seats and replaces them with helmet mounts and a fire extinguisher. A roll bar, door pulls in place of handles, bucket seats, six-point harnesses, carbon splitter and a massive rear wing are also added for further weight savings, aerodynamic advantages and track car cred. Both the GTA and GTAm have the same 2.9 liter power plant as the regular Giulia, but it has been turned up to 540 horsepower from the standard 510. Launch control brings 62 miles per hour in just 3.6 seconds.

My initial thoughts on the GTA and GTAm are as follows, the one sports sedan I feel the most passionate about has been made into a monster and I love Alfa for it. The Italians have always had a unique way of doing things, their own sense of style. More often than not, style has been put in front of any form or function. Recent years have seen a more sensible side of all the major Italian car manufacturers have been marrying to two for some majorly stunning results. Some of this could be attributed to certain companies being owned by ze sensible Germans. Still, if we can get a Lamborghini with style, performance and working air-con I won't argue. The GTA and GTAm are both further examples of style and function coming together.

Only 500 units of the GTA and GTAm will be built globally and will include a Bell helmet, a racing suit, gloves, shoes, car cover and an Alfa Romeo Driving Academy course. Alfa has been exploring evaluating an opportunity to bring the special editions to the U.S. Most of Alfa's key markets lie in Europe so we'll have to see if we get the new editions. Fingers crossed, I see too many Audi's, BMW's and Mercedes' around here anyway. Maybe someone with some imagination with actually buy one and make my commutes to work a little more interesting.

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Comments (15)

  • Really cool cars. Wish I could have one.

      1 year ago
  • Why have no rear seats and KEEP the rear doors!

      1 year ago
  • GTA stands for Gran Turismo Alleggerita.

    Which means "lightened" for the weight.

    History fact of the day: Enzo Ferrari was in Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team. About the day when he won his first race with his own Ferrari car beating Alfas he said "that day I was pouring tears of joy but also tears of sadness. That day I felt like I killed my mother"

      1 year ago
    • Enzo was such an amazing guy. He had such a passion for driving and the companies he worked with

        1 year ago
  • It’s not GTAam, it’s GTAm!

      1 year ago
  • A better beast, wow!

      1 year ago
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